Frank Kendall, secretary of the U.S. Air Force and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, has requested the service’s Scientific Advisory Board to examine the potential military applications of generative artificial intelligence, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.
Kendall said he tasked the advisory board to put together a small team to “take a look at the generative AI technologies like ChatGPT and think about the military applications of them.”
He also directed the creation of a more permanent, AI-focused group to figure out how to bring the emerging technology into military operations as quickly as possible.
According to Kendall, there are currently limited applications of ChatGPT and other generative AI for the military.
“I’m looking, and we’re all looking, right? But having it write documents for you, which is what ChatGPT does? [It] is not is not reliable, in terms of the truthfulness of what it produces,” Kendall said.
“We got ways to go, before we can rely on tools like that to do operational orders, for example,” he added.
Kendall is scheduled to speak at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Air Force Summit on July 18 at the Hilton-McLean in Virginia. Click here to register and hear from other Department of the Air Force leaders about the service branch’s objectives, capabilities and programs for 2023 and beyond.
